Shipping a car

Dear Bird Talk,
Good day. First, keep up the great work on Bird Talk! Very informative. I recently had an auto accident on my way to Florida. While trying to arrange shipment of a second vehicle to Florida, I discovered the murky world of auto shippers. I did consider the drive-down option as advertised in the CSA magazine, but wonder if CSA can recommend any carriers that run to/from the East Coast of Canada?
Paul D. Smith
Saint John, NB

Response :Ed.: Yes, this can be a little tricky. Basically, the drive-away companies want to have a car to drive both ways so that they do not have to pay for airfare to get their driver back. This is tough to do from Eastern Canada and costs are generally pretty high. They dodge and weave a bit hoping to get that return trip somehow, and that contributes to the murky feeling. “We may be able to…” or “We can possibly schedule you for...” are normally part of the conversation. I have found that a family friend works best, as long as he or she is over 25 years old. There is some risk to your car on the drive down, but it does not amount to much. Priests and ministers also do a lot of driving for these companies, so you might want to see if one of your acquaintances would like a free trip to Florida. Offer to pay for the gas and one or two night’s accommodation with a plane ticket back.